JP2910282B2 - Vending machine with cool storage / heat storage function - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cold storage / heat storage system in which a regenerative agent and / or a regenerative agent is disposed in a storage compartment in which a variety of commodities are refrigerated or warmed by an evaporator and / or a heater provided inside the machine. Related to vending machines with functions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vending machine which sells various kinds of goods by refrigeration or warming, a storage for storing various kinds of goods is formed in the machine by a heat insulating wall, and a refrigerator is provided in the storage. Various commodities are cooled or heated by using electric power supplied from outside the machine by an evaporator or a heater as an element to refrigerate or warm. In addition, vending machines that sell various kinds of products are required to be able to store more types of products in the machine and sell them more, and have a high ability to attract customers. At the same time, vending machines with prominent exterior designs are increasing. In particular, the design of the exhibition room, which is usually formed on the front of the fuselage, where product samples, advertisements, etc. are displayed and the sales products are directed toward the front, are designed so that the exhibition room is greatly widened up and down and a wide angle in front It has become an eye-catching variety of exterior designs that have a three-dimensional appearance like a show window with a wide view that can see through the inside. Along with this, the entire front of the aircraft is illuminated with lighting for the interior of the exhibition, making it easier to purchase products from vending machines at night or during the daytime in dark places. The power consumption tends to increase. However, on the other hand, increasing power consumption unnecessarily is not only from the perspective of the world's energy resources, but also from the viewpoint of reducing the maximum power consumption in Japan, especially in summer, and also by using vending machines to sell products. There is a problem from the viewpoint of saving electricity costs of the sellers, and energy saving of the vending machine is indispensable. However, a conventional example of this kind of vending machine is shown in FIG.
And FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a vending machine to which the present invention is applied, viewed from the front and upper right, and FIG. 5 is a right vertical cross-sectional plan view showing the internal structure of a conventional vending machine. It is.

[0003] In FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a case whose front opening is covered by a door 2, and the case 1 and the door 2 constitute a machine body 3. In this case 1, a storage 5 whose front opening is covered by a storage door 4 having heat insulation is defined by a heat insulating wall 6. An evaporator 8 and an electric heater 9, which are components of an electric refrigerator 7 for cooling or heating the air in the storage 5, are provided at the inner bottom of the storage 5 partitioned by the heat insulating wall 6. A blower 11 that blows the air in the storage 5 to the evaporator 8 and the heater 9 through a wind tunnel 10 is arranged in front and rear with the blower 11 as a front side. In the storage 5 on the upper side of the blower 11, there is an inlet 1 which is open on the front side and into which a product 12 is charged.
3 and an outlet 1 opening to the lower surface and dropping out the commodity 12
4 are formed at both upper and lower ends, and various goods 12 are stored and transported, respectively. A storage shelf 16 having a plurality of passages 15 extending vertically while meandering back and forth is provided inside. At the lower end of each passage 15 of the storage shelf 16, there is provided an unloading mechanism 17 for dropping and unloading the goods 12 in the passage 15 one by one from the lowest position through the unloading port 14 at each sale. The front, rear, and upper spaces between the storage 5 and the inner wall of the storage 5 form a ventilation passage 18 through which the air in the storage 5 is blown by the blower 11. In the ventilation path 18, the upper surface of the lower end portion that partitions between the evaporator 8, the heater 9 and the blower 11 and the storage shelf 16 forms a downwardly sloping slope toward the front, and the upper end portion is on the rear surface of the storage shelf 16. A shooter 1 with a J-shaped side section that touches
9 through a large number of ventilation holes 20 formed at the lower end of the wind tunnel 1.
It communicates within 0. A compressor 21, a condenser 22, a blower 23, and the like, which are components of the refrigerator 7, are provided at the bottom of the inside of the case 1 below the storage 5. An outlet 24 for taking out the product 12 is formed, and the outlet 24 and the inside of the storage 5 are communicated with each other, and the upper end is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 25 whose axis length direction is horizontal left and right. Communication hole 27 covered with lid 26
Are formed on the storage door 4. At the front of the door 2 where the outlet 24 is formed, an exhibition room 30 for displaying an advertisement (not shown), a product sample 28 and the like by illuminating the lighting 29 with a lighting lamp 29 and advertising the sales product toward the front is provided at an upper part. Under the exhibition room 30, there are selection buttons 31 arranged left and right to select the product 12, input ports 32 and 33 into which coins and bills are inserted, and a return operation of the inserted coins. A return lever 34 that opens, a return port 35 that opens to the front and returns change, and the like are provided.

In the vending machine configured as described above, the goods 12 stored in the passage 15 of the storage shelf 16 are
Evaporator 8 or heater 9 blown by blower 11
Is cooled or heated by the air in the storage 5 circulating through the ventilation passage 18 and the wind tunnel 10 and flowing through the passage 15 while being cooled or heated. The refrigerator 7 or the heater 9 is energized as long as the temperature (t) in the storage 5 does not reach a lower limit temperature (tc) or an upper limit temperature (th) set by a thermostat (not shown). Then, after the customer inserts coins or bills through the insertion slots 32 and 33, and presses the selection button 31 to select the commodity 12, the sales command signal causes the selected commodity 12 in the storage shelf 16 to be selected. An unloading mechanism 17 provided in the passage 15 in which the lowermost product 12 in the passage 15 is unloaded
And carry it out. The dropped and conveyed product 12 falls on the upper surface of the shooter 19 sloping downhill toward the front, rolls or slides, pushes the lid 26 open, passes through the communication hole 27, and sends it out into the outlet 24. Is done.

[0005]

Incidentally, such a conventional vending machine is cooled or cooled by the air in the storage 5 which is blown by the blower 11 and flows while being cooled or warmed by the evaporator 8 or the heater 9. Since the product 12 is heated and refrigerated or kept warm, the refrigerator having the evaporator 8 as a component unless the temperature (t) in the storage 5 becomes lower than the lower limit temperature (tc) or higher than the upper limit temperature (th). The heater 7 or the heater 9 is energized, and the lamp 29 is always energized during the day or night during sale. On the other hand, since there is a demand for a vending machine with a high customer attraction that can store and sell more types of products 12 in the machine, the amount of the refrigerated or warmed products 12 in the machine increases. The body 3 becomes larger, and the exhibition room 30 becomes larger accordingly. Therefore, with the increase in the refrigerating capacity of the refrigerator 7 due to an increase in the heat load, and the increase in the number of the illumination lamps 29 due to the increase in the size of the exhibition room 30, the consumption of the refrigerator 7, the heater 9, the illumination lamp 29, and the like is increased. As the current increases, the total power consumption of the vending machine increases, and the electricity bill increases, which puts pressure on the profit and loss of the vendors who sell the products 12 using the vending machine. There is a problem that this is a factor that increases power consumption.

The present invention can reduce the electricity bill and suppress the increase in the maximum power consumption in Japan, especially in summer, even if the heat load of the products to be refrigerated or stored in the aircraft is the same, and furthermore, the world energy consumption It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function that helps solve a problem.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an evaporator and / or an electric component, which are components of a motor-driven refrigerator, are provided in a storage compartment defined by heat insulating walls inside the device. In a vending machine that includes a heater of a type, and refrigerates or warms and sells various commodities stored in the storage by the evaporator or the heater, heat is taken away by the evaporator when the ambient temperature is below a certain level. Itself changes physically and / or chemically and absorbs heat from the surroundings when the ambient temperature exceeds a certain level, and cools down the surroundings while restoring itself, and / or when the ambient temperature exceeds a certain level When the heater absorbs heat from the heater and changes its physical and / or chemical properties, the stored heat is released when the ambient temperature falls below a certain level, and the heat itself is restored while surrounding the heater. A heat storage agent to be heated is provided in the storage, and a detection control device that detects the temperature in the storage and starts and stops the refrigerator or the heater when the temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined lower limit temperature or equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature, is provided. It is assumed that cooling or heating is performed by using a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent instead of the evaporator or the heater.

[0008]

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

The present invention is a component of an electric refrigerator which is provided in a storage compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall and cools goods stored in the storage compartment when the ambient temperature is below a certain level. A heat storage agent that absorbs heat from the evaporator and absorbs heat from the surroundings when it is physically and / or chemically changed and the ambient temperature becomes equal to or higher than a certain value, and cools the surroundings while restoring itself, and Or, when the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the heat stored in the storage is absorbed by an electric heater that heats the product, and the heat itself changes physically and / or chemically, and the stored heat becomes equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature. Since the heat storage agent, which is released when heated and heats the surroundings while restoring itself, is provided in the storage, the physical and / or chemically changed heat storage agent or the heat storage agent is restored until it is restored. A cool storage agent or a heat storage agent can be used in place of an evaporator or a heater, and during that time, a refrigerator or a heater can be stopped, so that it has been physically and / or chemically changed at night when power consumption is small. The cold storage agent or the heat storage agent can be used in place of the evaporator or the heater by stopping the refrigerator or the heater in the daytime when the power consumption is large.

In addition to the above, since the regenerator and / or the regenerator is supported on the inner wall surface of the storage, the air in the storage which circulates in the ventilation path while being cooled or heated by the evaporator or the heater is cooled. Alternatively, a physical and / or chemical change of the cold storage agent or the heat storage agent can be performed by contact with the heat storage agent.

Further, in addition to the above, since the cold storage agent or the heat storage agent is disposed near the evaporator or the heater, the air in the storage that circulates through the ventilation passage while being cooled or heated by the evaporator or the heater. Immediately after the air is cooled or heated by an evaporator or a heater, the air is brought into contact with a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent, so that the physical and / or chemical change of the cold storage agent or the heat storage agent can be quickly performed.

Still further, in addition to the above, the physical and / or chemical change of the regenerator or heat storage agent is performed by midnight electric power. Can make objective changes.

Still further, in addition to the above, there is provided a detection control device for detecting the temperature in the storage and starting and stopping the refrigerator or the heater when the temperature becomes lower than a predetermined lower limit temperature or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature. Heating is performed using a cold storage agent or heat storage agent instead of an evaporator or heater, so that the power consumption is low and the heat storage agent or heat storage agent that has been physically and / or chemically changed with inexpensive midnight power Can be used to shut down a refrigerator or heater and cool or heat the storage instead of an evaporator or heater without using expensive daytime power that consumes a lot of power.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a right vertical sectional view showing the internal configuration of a vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal configuration of a vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function according to a different embodiment of the present invention. The right side vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the vending machine to which the present invention is applied, as viewed from the front upper right corner. The same or similar parts as those in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a case whose front opening is covered by a door 2, and the case 1 and the door 2 constitute a body 3. In this case 1, a storage 5 whose front opening is covered by a storage door 4 having heat insulation is defined by a heat insulating wall 6. An evaporator 8 and a heater 9, which are components of the refrigerator 7, are provided at the inner bottom of the storage 5 partitioned by the heat insulating wall 6, and the air in the storage 5 is supplied to the evaporator 8 and the heater 9 through the wind tunnel 10. The blowers 11 are arranged in front and rear with the blower 11 as a front side.
In the storage 5 on the upper side of the blower 11, there are formed at the upper and lower ends of an inlet 13 for opening the front face and an outlet 13 into which the commodities 12 are inserted and an outlet 14 for opening and lowering the merchandise 12 at the upper and lower ends, respectively. Are stored and conveyed, and a storage shelf 16 is provided inside which is formed a plurality of passages 15 extending vertically while meandering back and forth. This storage shelf 16
At the lower end of each passage 15, there is provided a carry-out mechanism 17 for dropping and carrying out the goods 12 in the passage 15 one by one from the lowest order through the carry-out port 14 each time the goods are sold. The storage shelf 16 and the inner wall surface of the storage 5 are provided. The upper and lower spaces between and above form a ventilation path 18 through which air in the storage 5 is blown by the blower 11. In the ventilation path 18, the upper surface of the lower end portion that partitions between the evaporator 8, the heater 9 and the blower 11 and the storage shelf 16 forms a downwardly sloping slope toward the front, and the upper end portion is the rear surface of the storage shelf 16. , And communicates with the inside of the wind tunnel 10 through a large number of ventilation holes 20 formed at the lower end of a shooter 19 having a J-shaped side section. Ventilation path 18
The temperature (T) in the ventilation path 18 is detected at the lower part on the depth side, and when the temperature (T) becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined lower limit temperature (Tc) or equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature (Th), the refrigerator 7 or the heater 9 is provided, and Th and Tc are Th ≧ th and Tc ≦ tc.
It is set to be. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the evaporator is provided with a ceiling, a rear upper portion, and a back surface of the storage door 4 in the storage room 5 when the temperature in the ventilation path 18 is lower than a certain value. Blower 1 while being cooled in 8
The heat is taken away by the air in the storage 5 which is blown by 1 and flows through the ventilation path 18 and changes itself physically and / or chemically, and when the temperature in the ventilation path 18 becomes higher than a certain level, For example, a flat regenerator 37 containing calcium chloride as a main component, which cools the inside of the storage 5 while absorbing heat and restoring itself, is attached. In a different embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the regenerator 37 is attached to the lower surface of the front end of the lower end of the shooter 19, and is moved back and forth by a driving mechanism (not shown) while sliding on the upper surface of the shooter 19, thereby forming a large number of ventilation holes. An opening / closing plate 38 that opens and closes a part of the depth side 20 is provided. On the other hand, a compressor 21, a condenser 22, a blower 23, and the like, which are components of the refrigerator 7, are provided at the bottom of the case 1 below the storage 5, and an outlet 24 is provided below the door 2. Forming and this outlet 2
A communication hole 27 is formed in the storage door 4 and communicates with the inside of the storage 5 and is covered with a lid 26 whose upper end is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 25. When the commodity 12 in the storage 5 is kept warm, instead of the cold storage agent 37, the heat absorbed by the heater 9 itself and physically and / or chemically changed and stored and the temperature in the ventilation path 18 is reduced. Is used, a heat storage agent (not shown) is used for heating the inside of the storage 5 while releasing it when it is below a certain level and restoring itself, and the other configuration is the same as that of the above-described conventional example.

In the above-described configuration, the vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function of the present invention has the same selling operation as the above-described conventional example, but the refrigerator 15 is refrigerated or heated in the passage 15 of the storage shelf 16 in the storage 5. The cooling or heating operation of the stored commodities 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in S-1, the temperature (T) in the ventilation passage 18 detected by the detection control device 36 is reduced to a predetermined lower limit temperature (Tc).
If not below or above the predetermined upper limit temperature (Th), S
-2 to move the refrigerator 7 or the heater 9 to the detection control device 3
6 is activated and the opening / closing plate 38 is advanced to close a part on the depth side, whereby the air in the storage room 5 that is blown by the blower 11 and flows from the wind tunnel 10 through the ventilation hole 20 through the ventilation path 18 cools. After flowing around the agent 37 or the heat storage agent (not shown), the coolant 37 or the heat storage agent (not shown) is cooled or heated, and the process returns to S-1. However, ventilation passage 18
If the internal temperature (T) is equal to or lower than the predetermined lower limit temperature (Tc) or equal to or higher than the predetermined upper limit temperature (Th), the process proceeds to S-2, where the detection control device 36 stops the refrigerator 7 or the heater 9 and sets the open / close plate. 38 is retracted to open a part of the ventilation hole 20 on the depth side, and the process proceeds to S-4. In S-4, if it is midnight (for example, between 23:00 PM and 7:00 AM when cheap midnight power can be used), S
Return to -1, but in the daytime when midnight power is not available,
Until a thermostat (not shown) detects that the temperature (t) in the storage 5 has become equal to or higher than the lower limit temperature (tc) or equal to or lower than the upper limit temperature (th) in S-6, the open / close plate 38 is periodically set in S-5. The air in the storage 5, which is blown by the blower 11 and cooled or heated by the cool storage agent 37 or the heat storage agent (not shown), flows from the wind tunnel 10 through the ventilation holes 20 and the ventilation passage 18 and the passage 15, The commodities 12 in the storage 5 are cooled or heated to be refrigerated or kept warm. Then, when a thermostat (not shown) detects that the temperature (t) in the storage 5 has become equal to or higher than the lower limit temperature (tc) or equal to or lower than the upper limit temperature (th) in S-6, the process returns to S-1. If the capacity of the heat storage agent (not shown) is sufficient for the heat load in the storage 5, the temperature (t) in the storage room 5 becomes the lower limit temperature (t
c) Since it does not become higher than or equal to or lower than the upper limit temperature (th), it is unlikely to return to S-1 in the daytime when the midnight power is not available.

[0021]

According to the present invention, when the ambient temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, the electric refrigerator is provided in a storage compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall and cools the commodities stored in the storage compartment. Heat is taken away by the evaporator, which is a component, and changes itself physically and / or chemically, and when the ambient temperature reaches a certain level or more, absorbs heat from the surroundings and restores itself to cool the surroundings. When the regenerator and / or ambient temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the heat stored in the storage is absorbed by an electric heater for heating the product, and the heat itself is physically and / or chemically changed and the stored heat is stored in the ambient temperature. When the temperature is below a certain level, a heat storage agent that releases itself and heats the surroundings while restoring is provided in the storage, so it is physically and / or chemically changed at night with low power consumption. Oita the cold storage agent or a heat storage agent,
In the daytime when power consumption is large, the refrigerator or the heater can be stopped and used instead of the evaporator or the heater.

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

Further, in addition to the above, a detection control device for detecting the temperature in the storage and starting and stopping the refrigerator or the heater when the temperature becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined lower limit temperature or equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit temperature is provided. Is performed with a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent instead of an evaporator or a heater, so that a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent that has been physically and / or chemically changed with a cheap midnight power that consumes less power is used. It can be used to shut down a refrigerator or heater and cool or heat the storage instead of an evaporator or heater without using expensive daytime power that consumes a lot of power.

As a result, the product can be refrigerated or warmed in the storage using low-priced late-night power with low power consumption without using expensive daytime power with high power consumption. Even if it is the same, the electricity bill will be significantly reduced, which will help improve the profit and loss of those who sell products using vending machines, and help reduce the increase in maximum power consumption in Japan, especially in summer. Is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a right vertical sectional view showing an internal configuration of a vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side vertical sectional view showing the internal structure of a vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control operation of the vending machine with a cool storage / heat storage function shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a vending machine to which the present invention is applied, viewed from the front upper right corner.

FIG. 5 is a right vertical sectional plan view showing the internal structure of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Door 3 Airframe 4 Storage door 5 Storage 6 Insulated wall 7 Refrigerator 8 Evaporator 9 Heater 10 Wind tunnel 11 Blower 12 Product 13 Input port 14 Carry-out port 15 Passage 16 Storage shelf 17 Carry-out mechanism 18 Ventilation passage 19 Shooter 20 Ventilation hole DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Compressor 22 Condenser 23 Blower 24 Outlet 25 Rotating shaft 26 Cover 27 Communication hole 28 Product sample 29 Illumination lamp 30 Exhibition room 31 Select button 32 Input port 33 Input port 34 Return lever 35 Return port 36 Detection control device 37 Cold storage Agent 38 Opening / closing plate

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-50-139453 (JP, A) JP-A-63-259391 (JP, A) JP-A-62-56751 (JP, A) 20188 (JP, U) Actually open sho 59-113187 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G07F 5/00-9/10 C09K 5/00 F28D 20/00 F28F 21/00-27/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An evaporator and / or an electric heater which is a component of a motor-driven refrigerator is provided in a storage compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall in the machine, and housed in the storage by the evaporator or heater. In a vending machine that sells refrigerated or warmed various products, when the ambient temperature is below a certain level, heat is taken away by the evaporator, and the surroundings themselves are physically and / or chemically changed and the ambient temperature rises. When it exceeds a certain level, it absorbs heat from the surroundings and cools itself while restoring itself, and / or when the ambient temperature is above a certain level, it absorbs heat from the heater and changes itself physically and / or chemically. The stored heat is released when the ambient temperature falls below a certain level and the heat storage agent for heating the surroundings while restoring itself is provided in the storage,
Equipped with a detection control device that detects the temperature inside the storage and starts and stops the refrigerator or heater when this temperature becomes lower than or equal to the predetermined lower limit temperature or higher than the predetermined upper limit temperature, and cools or heats the storage inside the storage instead of the evaporator or heater. Vending machine with a cold storage / heat storage function that is made to perform with a heat storage agent or a heat storage agent.